What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations.
The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society.

M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace

This award is given in recognition of a project or product representing an outstanding example of the practice of industrial and organizational psychology in the workplace.

M. Scott Myers (1922-1996), a SIOP and APA Fellow, was admired by his professional colleagues but was probably better known to CEOs of the Fortune 500. As head of a team of I-O psychologists at Texas Instruments in the 1960s, he helped TI to achieve record growth and profits by involving employees in management decisions and giving employees greater freedom to plan and control their own work. His classic article on “Who Are Your Motivated Workers?” (Harvard Business Review, 1964) and related book on Every Employee A Manager (McGraw-Hill, 1970) are still must reading for business executives.

This annual award, honoring M. Scott Myers, will be given to an individual practitioner or team of practitioners who have developed and conducted/applied a specific project or product representing an example of outstanding practice of I-O psychology in the workplace (i.e., business, industry, government). Projects must have been conducted in the workplace within the last 40 years and cover a time period of no more than 8 years. Products (e.g., tests, questionnaires, videos, software, but not books or articles) must be used in the workplace and developed within the last 40 years. Projects or products may be in any area of I-O psychology (e.g., compensation, employee relations, equal employment opportunity, human factors, job analysis, job design, organizational development, organizational behavior, leadership, position classification, safety, selection, training).

The award recipient(s) will receive a plaque commemorating the achievement, a cash prize of $1,500 and an invitation to make a presentation at the annual conference of SIOP. Team awards will be shared among the members of the team. New in 2017, the program committee worked with award recipients to create combined featured sessions. Click HERE for more information. Award recipients will be asked to serve a three-year term as a reviewer on this award subcommittee beginning the following year.

Guidelines for Submission of Projects or Products

Nominations may be submitted by any member of SIOP. Self-nominations are welcome.

Individuals or teams may be nominated. Each individual nominee must be a current member of the Society. If a team is nominated, at least one of the team members must be a current member of the Society, and each team member must have made a significant contribution to the project or product.

Each nomination must contain the following information:

A letter of nomination which explains how the project or product meets the six evaluation criteria above.

A technical report which describes the project or product in detail (a maximum of 20 pages). This may be an existing report.

A description of any formal complaints of a legal or ethical nature which have been made regarding the project or product.

A list of three client references who may be contacted by the Myers Award Subcommittee regarding the project or product.

(Optional) Up to 6 additional documents that may be helpful for evaluating the nomination (e.g., a sample of the product, technical manuals, independent evaluations).

If appropriate, nominators of highly rated nonwinning candidates will be contacted to encourage renomination of a candidate for up to 3 years.

The Awards Committee will maintain the confidentiality of secure materials.

Criteria for the Award

Nominations will be evaluated on the extent to which they:

Have a sound technical/scientific basis.

Advance objectives of clients/users.

Promote full use of human potential.

Comply with applicable psychological, legal, and ethical standards.

Improve the acceptance of I-O psychology in the workplace.

Show innovation and excellence.

Administrative Procedures

Nomination materials will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the SIOP Awards Committee, consisting of at least three members, all of whom work primarily as I-O practitioners.

The Awards Committee will make a recommendation to the SIOP Executive Board about the award-winning project or product.

The Executive Board may either accept or reject the recommendation of the Awards Committee but may not substitute a nominee of its own.

In the absence of a nominee that is deemed deserving of the award by both the Awards Committee and the Executive Board, the award may be withheld.